Mea Culpa is the 9th episode of Season 1 of Alias. Sydney's life is placed in mortal danger when Sloane is informed by his superior that she is the SD-6 mole. Meanwhile, Dixon's life hangs in the balance after he is shot on a mission, and Will realizes that his discovery of Kate Jones' pin could uncover some unexpected information.
Plot Overview
After her fight with Anna, Sydney crawls out of the underground tunnel and finds Dixon, seriously wounded. As a last resort, she uses a satellite phone to call the CIA. A CIA helicopter flies Dixon to a nearby hospital, though Sydney conceals the truth from Sloane. Sydney is scared, as she thinks that Dixon may have heard her talking to the CIA. Has she blown her cover?
At SD-6, Dreyer tells Sloane that he believes Sydney is the mole because she scored too well on the lie detector test. Sloane is reluctant to agree, though he insists that he will "take care of Bristow."
For her next assignment, Sydney is sent to Tuscany to steal information from Ineni Hassan's accountant. Despite Hassan's previous alliance with SD-6, he is now their enemy, and Sloane wants the numbers to Hassan's bank accounts so they can freeze his assets.
After Sydney leaves, Sloane sends a message to his colleagues in SD-4. He orders Sydney's assassination, though the CIA intercepts the order. Vaughn quickly assembles a team to rescue Sydney.
Jack learns of the kill order and, with Marshall's aid, discovers that the message was deliberately sent over the unsecured server previously infiltrated by Vaughn's team. Sloane is tempting the CIA, trying to draw them out. Jack argues with Vaughn, and prevents the CIA from interfering. The assassination attempt never occurs, and Sloane now believes that Sydney is loyal to SD-6.
Meanwhile, Will continues to investigate the pin that he found in Eloise Kurtz's car. He's shocked to discover that not only is the pin a small microphone, it's also still active.
One night while drinking with Francie, Will shows her the pin. Both of them start joking, asking a series of questions into the pin. Just then, Will receives a phone call. A mysterious voice tells him to keep his mouth shut.
From the Tuscany assignment, SD-6 have learned that the accountant's computer did not contain Hassan's bank account numbers, only the name of a specific Swiss bank. Sydney and Agent Russek travel to Geneva, in order to get the numbers. As Sydney reads the numbers to Russek, a secret transmitter in her ear beams the same information to the CIA.
While monitoring Sydney and Russek's latest mission, Marshall discovers the secret transmission coming from the bank vault. He shares this information with Dreyer.
At a phone booth, Will receives another phone call from the same mysterious voice. The voice asks Will how far he's willing to go in order to find the truth about Kate Jones. Will says he's up for the challenge and later finds a cassette tape in his glove compartment. The tape is an audio recording of Kate Jones/Eloise Kurtz being killed.
After several days in the hospital, Dixon finally regains consciousness. Sydney is relieved when he doesn't remember how he was brought to a hospital. As she leaves the hospital, she's tackled by a group of men. Sloane then receives a phone call. A mysterious voice says "We got her".
Cast
Main Cast
- Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow
- Ron Rifkin as Arvin Sloane
- Michael Vartan as Michael Vaughn
- Bradley Cooper as Will Tippin
- Merrin Dungey as Francie Calfo
- Carl Lumbly as Marcus Dixon
- Kevin Weisman as Marshall Flinkman
- Victor Garber as Jack Bristow
Guest Stars
- Miguel Sandoval as SD-6 Agent Anthony Russek
- Tobin Bell as SD-6 Agent Karl Dreyer
- Timothy Landfield as Kretchmer
- Christopher Thornton as Nevil
- David St. James as Mr. Franco
- Jon Curry as Phillips
- Yvonne Farrow as Diane Dixon
- Tim Halligan as Dr. Mallaska
- Richard Whiten as Officer Pollard
- Kaline Carr as Franco's Assistant
- David Franco as Guard
- Moe Irvin as Man in the Couple
- Cosimo Fusco as Logan Gerace
- Greg Grunberg as Eric Weiss (uncredited)
Trivia
- Goof: After Sydney was shot, you can see has three bullets stuck in her vest, but later after climbing out of the pit and collapsing on the ground, her vest is clean.
- If Sydney's fall was stopped by her leg catching on the ladder, then the sudden catch from that height and speed would have done some damage to her leg (like her ankle, or calf, etc), but there is no telltale sign or even a reference that she's sustained such an injury.
Aliases Used
Gadgets
Music
- "Out Of Order" by Duncan Sheik
- "Diggin' Your Scene" by Smashmouth
- "Sacred Way" by Munkafust
Filming Locations
- Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary - 3431 Waverly Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
Allusions and References
- The title of this episode "Mea Culpa" means "my (own) fault" in Latin. A phrase which is said to admit one's mistakes.
Quotes
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Alias Season 1 | Season 2 >
| ||||||
| #01 | Pilot | #07 | Color-Blind | #13 | The Box (Part 2) | #19 | Snowman | |
| #02 | So It Begins | #08 | Time Will Tell | #14 | The Coup | #20 | The Solution | |
| #03 | Parity | #09 | Mea Culpa | #15 | Page 47 | #21 | Rendezvous | |
| #04 | A Broken Heart | #10 | Spirit | #16 | The Prophecy | #22 | Almost 30 Years | |
| #05 | Doppelgänger | #11 | The Confession | #17 | Q&A | |||
| #06 | Reckoning | #12 | The Box (Part 1) | #18 | Masquerade | |||